Working in Auckland: employment agreements, 90-day trials and leave for Australians
You can start work in Auckland the day you land. Before you sign, it pays to know which bits of the offer are law, which are negotiable and which don't exist back home.
The short version
- Australians can work for any employer in New Zealand under the Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement, with no sponsorship needed.
- Every employee must have a written employment agreement. An employer who doesn't provide one faces fines [1][2].
- A 90-day trial lets employers with 19 or fewer staff dismiss you without a personal grievance claim. It's only valid if you agreed to it in writing before you started [3].
- You get four weeks' paid annual holidays after 12 months, 10 days' paid sick leave a year, and 11 national public holidays plus Auckland Anniversary Day [4][5][6].
- If you're registered in an occupation in Australia, the Trans-Tasman mutual recognition law generally entitles you to registration in the equivalent New Zealand occupation [8].
Your right to work, and the catch
Under the Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangements, Australians can live and work in New Zealand without restrictions. You'll normally get a resident visa at the border, which lets you work in any job for any employer. No sponsor, no labour market test.
The catch is what happens if the job doesn't work out. Most Work and Income benefits need two years' residence. So if a trial period ends badly in your first months, you may have no safety net. Keep that in mind when you weigh an offer with a trial clause against one without. Our guide to living in New Zealand under the Trans-Tasman arrangement sets out the full timeline.
The written employment agreement
New Zealand law is blunt: every employee must have a written employment agreement [1]. Minimum rights apply even if they aren't written into it [1].
What it must include
Employment New Zealand lists what an individual agreement must contain [2]:
- the names of the employer and employee
- a description of the work and the place of work
- the agreed hours, or an indication of them
- the wage or salary, and how it's paid
- a plain explanation of how to resolve problems, including the 90-day window for most personal grievances
- a statement that you'll be paid at least time and a half for working a public holiday
- any trial period, probation or availability provision
- for fixed-term jobs, the reason it's fixed-term
What the employer risks
Employers must keep a copy of the agreement and give you one if you ask [2]. An employer with no written agreement can face a NZ$1,000 infringement fee, and penalties of up to NZ$10,000 for an individual or NZ$20,000 for a company [2].
Before you sign
- Read every clause, including restraint of trade. These can stop you working for competitors after you leave [1].
- Check the trial or probation clause against the rules below.
- Ask questions and negotiate. You can ask for extra terms, and employers should be open to that [1].
- Get advice if you want it. Employment New Zealand suggests professional advice if anything is unclear [2].
- Sign before your first day. This matters a lot for trial periods.
90-day trials: the clause Australians don't expect
In Australia you'd usually serve a probation period, and the Fair Work unfair dismissal minimum employment period protects employers in your first months. New Zealand handles this with a specific legal tool: the 90-day trial period.
Who can use one
Only employers with 19 or fewer employees can use a 90-day trial. Staff numbers are counted at the start of the day the agreement is signed. This has applied since 6 May 2019 [3]. Larger employers can still use a probationary period, but that doesn't remove your right to challenge an unjustified dismissal.
When it's valid
A trial period is only valid if [3]:
- you haven't worked for that employer before
- it's in your written agreement, agreed before you start work
- it states a period of no more than 90 days, and a notice period
- it was agreed in good faith, not forced on you
If you started work before you signed, the trial can be invalid [3].
What it means in practice
During a valid trial, your employer can dismiss you with notice, without having to give you a chance to comment first. You can't raise a personal grievance for unjustified dismissal [3]. You keep all other minimum rights, including pay, holidays and sick leave. You can still raise grievances on other grounds, such as discrimination or harassment [3]. If you ask, your employer must give reasons [3].
If no notice is given by the end of the trial, you're simply employed [3].
Leave and public holidays compared
| Entitlement | New Zealand | Australia (National Employment Standards) |
|---|---|---|
| Annual leave | 4 weeks after 12 months' continuous work [4] | 4 weeks a year, accruing from day one |
| Sick leave | 10 days a year once eligible, covering you and dependants [5] | 10 days personal/carer's leave a year |
| Public holidays | 11 national days plus Auckland Anniversary Day [6] | Varies by state |
| Working a public holiday | At least time and a half, plus a day in lieu if it's a normal working day [2][6] | Penalty rates under awards |
| Long service leave | No general legal right | Yes, after 7–10 years depending on state |
Two things catch Australians. First, annual holidays become an entitlement after 12 months, so check the agreement for how leave in advance works in your first year. Second, there's no long service leave by law. Some employers offer it, so ask.
New Zealand's national public holidays are New Year's Day, the day after, Waitangi Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Anzac Day, King's Birthday, Matariki, Labour Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day [6]. Auckland adds its anniversary day, linked to 29 January and usually observed on the nearest Monday [6].
Changes coming in 2028
A new Employment Leave Act has passed and starts on 6 August 2028, replacing how leave works now [7]. Employment New Zealand is publishing guidance in stages. Until then, the current rules apply.
Pay, KiwiSaver and the Australian comparison
Wages are often lower in Auckland than in Sydney or Melbourne for the same job, and rent is high. Compare offers on take-home pay after tax, KiwiSaver and the cost of a commute, not the headline salary. Our cost of living in Auckland guide helps.
Some quick points:
- New Zealand's minimum wage is reviewed each year, with changes usually from 1 April. Check Employment New Zealand for the current rate.
- KiwiSaver is New Zealand's retirement savings scheme. Your employer will usually enrol you if you're eligible, and Australians living in New Zealand can join.
- Your Australian super stays where it is unless you move it. Read your super while you live overseas.
- Contracting rather than employment? A new "gateway test" for contractors came into law on 21 February 2026 [9]. See our contracting guide.
Getting your Australian qualifications recognised
Registered occupations
Nurses, teachers, electricians, plumbers, lawyers, accountants and many others need registration to practise in New Zealand. The Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Act 1997 is built around a simple principle: if you're registered in an occupation in Australia, you're entitled to registration in the equivalent New Zealand occupation [8]. You notify the New Zealand registration authority, and the Act provides for deemed registration while your notice is processed [8]. Where you live doesn't matter [8].
How this works in practice:
- Find the New Zealand registration body for your job, such as the Nursing Council, Teaching Council or Electrical Workers Registration Board.
- Check whether your occupation is covered by mutual recognition, and whether any conditions apply.
- Lodge your notice with proof of your current Australian registration.
- Keep your Australian registration current until the New Zealand one is confirmed.
Some health professions have extra steps, so check with the relevant council early.
Unregistered jobs
For office, tech and most other roles, there's no formal recognition step. Employers will look at your degree and experience as they would in Australia. Australian university degrees are widely understood in New Zealand.
Social security and your safety net
The New Zealand–Australia social security agreement covers retirement and disability payments, such as NZ Super, Australia's Age Pension and the Disability Support Pension. It lets you add together time spent living in both countries [10]. It doesn't give you Jobseeker Support in your first two years. Build an emergency fund before you resign from anything.
For job leads, workplace culture and which recruiters actually call back, ask in Cooee New Zealand, our Facebook group for Australians in New Zealand.
Sources
- Employment agreements – Employment New Zealand
- Creating an employment agreement – Employment New Zealand
- Trial periods – Employment New Zealand
- Annual holidays – Employment New Zealand
- Sick leave – Employment New Zealand
- Public holidays and anniversary dates – Employment New Zealand
- Changes to leave coming in 2028 – Employment New Zealand
- Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Act 1997 – New Zealand Legislation
- Employee or contractor – Employment New Zealand
- Social security agreement with Australia – Work and Income